In May of 1980, Simon Le Bon arrived at the Rum Runner in Birmingham to audition for Duran Duran, wearing pink leopard print trousers and clutching a book full of lyrics. One of the songs in this book was called Tel Aviv, memories of the time Simon spent working on a kibbutz in Israel. Tel Aviv was the first song ever recorded by the band.

That song was not the instrumental Tel Aviv that we all know from the first album. This Tel Aviv is an entirely different song, including those lyrics, that we have never heard… until today.

Click here to listen to the original Tel Aviv

the afternoon
it’s one maybe two
sipping away my last gold star
not so much to do
dream away the sunny day
’til its time to leave
I’ll just watch you pass on by
when I’m on my own in Tel Aviv

with the blocks to one side
and the beach on the other
and the trees and the leaves
on my own in Tel Aviv
and the leaves and the trees
on my own in Tel Aviv

I see smoke is rolling
breaking off the shore
the sound of traffic fades
like someone closed the door
see I might stay here
watch the skins keeping cool
like Greene’s man overseas
I read the rules

with the blocks to one side
and the beach on the other
and the trees and the leaves
on my own in Tel Aviv
and the palms and the trees
on my own in Tel Aviv

This version of Tel Aviv will be included on the upcoming EMI reissue of “Duran Duran,” along with five other previously unreleased demos.